Towel cabinet



April 29', 1930. P LS N 1,756,757

I I TOWEL CABINET Filed Dec. 19. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor ATTQRNE Y6 60775 710 OLso/v A ril 29, 1930.

G. OLSO-N 1,756,757

TOWEL CABINET Filed Dec. 19, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [Tu/fizz e? GOTTF/P/D pLso/v 1477-02 NE Y6 v -20 when mounted on the Patented Apr. 29, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOTTFRID OLSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO STEINER SALES'COM- PANY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH TOWEL CABINET Application filed December erally this roll is supported on a tube forming an axis, the ends of the tube fitting within guides of the side walls of the cabinet, the walls of the guides holding the tube against lateral movement as the towel web is being unwound. These tubes when used in large quantities involve considerable expense, the rolling of the towel thereon at the laundry also takes time and some little attention on the part of the laundryman is necessary when he opens the cabinet to properly place the clean towel roll in the supporting guides.

It is also necessary or desirable when the web is wound on a tube at the laundry that it be drawn tightly so that a hard smooth roll will be formed that will keep its shape tube and supported in the cabinet. r

The object, therefore, of my invention is to provide a cabinet that is adapted to receive a loose roll of toweling; that is, one that will rest on the floor of the chamber in which it is placed without having any supporting tube or axis and thus less time is required to load the cabinet and the roll need not be so carefully formed thereby saving time and labor at the-laundry. Y

A further object is to eliminate wear on the web as far as possible by keeping it out of contact with the sanded feed roll, or the roll having a suitably roughened surface that is frequently used in cabinets of this type.

A further object is to provide a cabinet in which springs are eliminated and the parts are thereby reduced in number and simplified in construction.

v A further object is to provide an improved locking device by means of which the feed or delivery of the clean towel web may be controlled. This locking device is designed as an improvement of a device for a similar pur pose shown and described in the application ofiFrank M. Steiner, #49,043, filed August 8, 925. 7

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The invention consists. in various con- 19, 1925. Serial No. 76,528.

structions and combinations all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

part of this specification,

Figure 1 1s a vertical sectional View through vention;

Figure 2 is a sectional View on the line 22 of Figure 4 showing the locking device in its depressed position;

Figure 3 is a similar view showing in full lines the locking device in its normal position where it may be depressed by the finger of the operator;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4: of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the machine partially in section showing the relative position of the feed rolls, the chamber for the clean towel roll, and the locking device.

In the drawing, 2 represents the top of a suit-able cabinet; 3 the side walls thereof; 4' the rear wall; and 5, a door adapted to close the front of the cabinet and which, when opened, exposes the interior thereof. This In the accompanying drawing forminga towel cabinet embodying my indoor will generally be provided with a suitable looking glass .or mirror 6. 7 represents the lower wall or floor of the cabinet substantially horizontal and separated from' the door 5 by a vertical opening or gap 8. A

chamber 9 is provided above the floor 7 having a top wall 10 and a vertical rear wall 11 depending therefrom, and cooperating with the floor 7' to form the walls of the clean towel chamber. The wall 11 is separated from the rear of the cabinet by a passage 12 and a gap or opening 13 is provided between the forward edge of the top.wall 10 and the door of the cabinet. A bar 14 is preferablyprovided at the forward portion of the floor 7 to form a stop for the loose roll placed in the chamber 9. 15 represents a clean towel roll that is placed in the chamber 9 through the opening in the front thereof when the door 5 is opened, sufiicient space being prodiameters. This roll ot clean toweling may be taken directly from the ironing machine without being tightly wound and without the useof a tube or any other form of axle and deposited by the laundry delivery man within the, chamber 9 where it will lie loosely on the floor of the chamber and roll back and forth therein as the web is unwound.

Above the chamber 9 I provide a feed roll 16 having preferably a sanded or otherwise roughened peripheral surface and this feed roll has a driving connection through gears 17 with an adjacent similar roll 18 mounted, however, to revolve in the opposite direction, the gears being preferably arranged within a suitable housing 19 on the outside of the casing. The side walls ofthe cabinet are provided with guide slots 20 adapted to receive a spindle 21, the slots extending through to the front of the cabinet so that the spindle ,can be easily inserted therein when the door L and from thence is carried down'through the passage 8 to form a loop below the cabinet.

7 The free end is then passed up through the optning 12 and around the spindle 21, and the' weight of the spindle and the web will hold the roll against the feed roll 18 so that when the feed roll is revolved the spindle will also be revolved and the soiled towel wound thereon proportionately as the clean portion is Withdrawn from the clean towel roll.

The soiled towelroll is offset or out of vertical alinement with the roll 18 so that pressure of the feed roll on the towel'will force the spindle against the wall of the guide instead of raising the roll in the guide. \The soiled towel is kept out of contact with the 7 depending portion of clean web and slides onthe rear wallll of the chamber 9, and I prefer also to provide a block 23 on the top wall 10 having a rounded upper surface and mount a gate 24 above the passage 12 in po sition to bear on the webof soiled towel and smooth out the wrinkles and operate as aguide to feed the soiled web evenly and smoothly to the soiled towel roll. Suitable tension on this gate is provided by means of a spring 25. The operator standing in front of the cabinet and pulling down on the clean web will unwind it from the roll and as the feed rolls are operated, movement will be transmitted'to the soiled towel roll so that a corresponding portion will be wound thereon with each operation of the, clean towel feed roll.

In a cabinet of this type, it is desirable to provide a locking device toprevent any careless or mischievous person from pulling out more of the clean towel than is necessary. This could easily happen if a person sees the depending clean web and pulled quickly and vigorously thereon and the result might be the dragging of the clean web 0n,the floor and the unnecessary soiling of a portion of the towel that had not been used. To prevent such needless delivery of the clean Web, I provide preferably at one side of the cabinet a plate 26 on the end of the feed roll 16, having a projecting, peripherally arranged pin 27. A lever 28 is pivoted at 29 and has a finger piece 30 adapted to be pressed or operated by the user of the cabinet.

The lever pivot 29 issup orted in a suitable housing 31 and is provi ed with a spring washer 32 to hold the lever in its adjusted positions, sufficient frictionbeing provided between the washer and the-Wall .of the pivot for this purpose. The lever is provided with a depending tooth 33 in the path of the pin 27 and also has an inwardly turned lug 34 which projects over the peripheral surface of the plate 26 in position to engage an outwardly projecting lug 35 formed on this plate. The lever will normally be in the position shown in full lines in Figure 3, or its looking position and the Web of towel cannot be withdrawn or delivered from the cabinet. A userwill press down on the button 30, moving the lever to the position indicated by full lines in Figure 2, a stop pin 36 being provided to limit the downward movement of the lever. The lever will then be in the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3 and the user of the cabinet may then grasp the web ofclean towel, pull down thereon, and unwind the towel from the roll 15, and continue this unwinding movement until the pin 27 reaches a point in the revolution of the feed roll where it will contact with the tooth 33 Such contact will raise the lever 28 to its normal full line position as shown in Figure 3 and return the lug 34 into the path of the lug 35, and stop further unwinding of the towel roll.

It will be noted that this lock device permits, with each operation, a single complete revolution of the feed roll and the user of the towel can only withdraw a' certain predetermined length of clean towel with each operation. This is due-to the use of the pin 27 and the lug 35, the pin positively returning the lever to its normalilocking position where it will be engaged by the lug when the feed roll has completed its revolution.

In the Steiner application, above referred to, the lever having been operated once to release the roll, may again be operated and an additional length or stretch of toWel?;0btained, or more than would be delivered with each single revolution of the feed roll.

In the operation of the cabinet shown herein, the user will first depress the lever 28 to the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3, thereby disengaging the lug 34 from the lug 35 and releasing the feed roll. He may then draw down on the web of the clean towel and thereupon a predetermined stretch of web will be (lll"8l(3(l through the bottom of the cabinet in position for use. The depression of the lever 28 will bring the tooth 33 into the path of the pin 27 and when the pin contacts with this tooth, it will Swing the lever back to the position indicated by full lines in Figure 3 and the lug 34 will be returned to the path of the lug 35 to engage it positivelyand stop further-revolution of the feed roll The operation will then be repeated to obtain a further, length ofclean towel;

When the feed roll is providedwith only one stop operating in connection with a forked member that is moved back to its locking position immediately following the initial movement of the feedroll, it is possible for a user to move the forked member back to its releasing position before the feed roll completes its revolution; that is, between the period of the setting of the forked mem her in its locking position by the stop and the completion of revolution of the feed roll and continue the feeding operation without stopping the roll.

In the present application I have eliminated this objection to the practically continuous feed of the towel without stopping the feed.

roll by providing the pin 27 in addition to the lug 35 and'located near it. lVhen, therefore, the towel user depresses the lever 28 and releases the stop 35, the lug or tooth 33 will be moved to the dotted line position of Figure 3 in the path of the pin 27 and normally this pin will engage the lug 33 and return the lug 34 into the path of the stop 35 just before the feed roll completes its revolution. If the towel user attempts to raise the lever 28 to clear the pin 27 just as the pin is completing its revolutiom he will manually set the lug 34in the path of the stop 35 and the time is so short between the engagement of the pin 27 with the l ug 33 and the contact of the stop of the feed roll with the lug 34 that the user will be unable to raise the lever to clear the pin 27 and depress it again to its release position before the stop 35 engages the lug 34 and the revolution of the feed roll is completely stopped. Hence the towel user instead of being able to withdraw the towel by a practically continuous operation without stopping the feed roll, is obliged by the addition of the pin 27 to thefeed roll, to allow this roll to come to a complete standstill with each revolution and thereby a considerable saving in .the unnecessary use of the a towel is eflected.

I claim as my invention: 1. A towel cabinet comprising an upper compartment for the soiled toweling, and a lower compartment for the clean toweling, a

door which when open opens both eompartments, therebeing a partition between the compartments and a space between the partition and door when closed, a friction roll in the upper compartment over which the clean towel extends between the end of the partition and the closed door, both as the clean toweling is drawn upwardly over the friction roll and downwardly in its course through the bottom of the cabinet, portions of the toweliiig being adapted to be held in contact with each other as the towel web ascends and descends, a soiled towel'rollerin the upper compartment, and a feed roll therefor geared to said friction roll, and a friction block in the rear of the cabinet over which the soiled towel is adapted to pass and a gate normally resting thereon -to straighten the toweling before reaching the soiled towel roll.

2. The combination with a towel delivery feed roll of a locking lever having an upwardly extending portion and a pivot therefor, a lug on the periphery of the feed roll and a pin in the end of the feed roll, said lever also having one end cooperating with said lug to lock the feed roll said lever having a projection cooperative with the pin to move the locking and into position to contact with said lug andlock the feed roll. 1

3. The combination with a towel delivery feed roll, of a locking lever, stops mounted on said feel roll, one extending radially of the roll and the other axially thereof, said lever having lugs offset relatively one to the other and one of which has a cam surface, said lugs being adapted to engage said stops respectively, a stop on said roll being normally in engagement with its lug on said lever, the other stop being positioned to engage the cam surface of its lever lug and'pos itively move said lever from its release to its lock position immediately preceding the completion of revolution of said feed roll.

4. The combination with a revoluble towel feeding means having stops thereon in adjacent relation, one stop projecting radially with respectto said feeding means and the otherstop extending longitudinally thereof, of a locking device having lugs in off-set relation to one another to engage said stops respectively, said feeding means being normally locked by the engagement of one of said stops with one of said lugs, the manual movement of said device to a release position being adapted to disengage one lug from said stop, and a partial revolution of said feeding means being adapted to positively return it to its tively return said first lug to its locking position and thereby check movement of said feedmg means and prevent continuous feed of the towel.

5. A towel cabinet having a chamber therein adapted to receive a supply of clean toweling, a soiled towel roller mounted in said cabinet, feed rolls for the clean and soiled porgeared to said friction roll.

tions of the towel, the web of clean towel being adapted to pass from said clean towel supply upwardly over its feed roll and said cabinet having a substantially horizontal wall above said chamber with a guiding edge at the front of said wall over which portions of the',clean web may both ascend an'd descend,

the ascending portion being adapted to 'contact with the descending portion of said towel web, the rear of the cabinet having a guiding passage through which the web of soiled towel is adapted to extend to the soiled towel roller and means adjacent said passage adapted to engageboth sides of the web of soiled towel for smoothing and straightening it prior to its delivery to the soiled towel roller.

6. A towel cabinet comprising an upper compartment for the soiled toweling and a lower compartment for the clean toweling, a door in front of both compartments, a partition between the compartments leaving a space between the partition and door when closed, a friction roll in the upper compartment over which the clean towel may extend after passing between the end of the partition and the closed door, said cabinet having an opening in the lower portion and said toweling being adapted to pass through said space between the partition and door and through v said lower opening'in the cabinet, portions of the clean toweling being adapted to move in contact with each other as the towel Web passes upwardly and then downwardly through said space, a soiled towel roller in the upper compartment to which the toweling is adapted to extend and a feed roll therefor In witness whereof,-I:have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of December, 1925. a. GOTTFRID OLSON. 

